July/August 2019

PE Report
Mass Shooting Takes Life of Virginia Society Leader

Tragedy in Virginia Beach leaves four PEs dead

RICH NETTLETON, P.E.

For 28 years, Rich Nettleton, P.E., came to work at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center, a complex where he served as a design and construction manager in the city’s Department of Public Utilities. But on May 31, his life was cut short there as a fellow engineer from the department opened fire.

Twelve people lost their lives in the tragic incident. It was the second-deadliest workplace shooting in the US in the last two decades, according to Reuters.

Nettleton joined NSPE and the Virginia Society of Professional Engineers shortly before taking the position with the city, and in 2010 he served as VSPE president. His Virginia Society colleagues described him as “an inspirational leader, friend, and kind advocate of public service.”

In his position with the City of Virginia Beach, Nettleton oversaw the design, installation, and maintenance of underground utilities, a Virginian-Pilot article explained, while keeping up with evolving technology.

The PE also chaired the Hampton Roads Regional Construction Standards committee, which standardizes specifications and construction requirements to simplify construction and improve the quality of road, utility, and other right-of-way projects.

Nettleton graduated from Old Dominion University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He later earned a master’s in engineering and an MBA.

Before joining the city, Nettleton served for 10 years in the US Army, ending his service as a captain in the 84th Engineering Battalion. He began working for the City of Virginia Beach in 1991.

Coworkers noted that Nettleton was “all about the city and the best possible outcome for the citizens and was exceptionally proud of the engineers and the staff with whom he worked.” He also enjoyed mentoring other engineers.

As an Order of the Engineer warden for ASCE’s Eastern Virginia Link No. 199, Nettleton participated in the Ring Ceremony held each fall and spring semester for the graduating class from Old Dominion University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “As a true professional, Rich saw the need to give back to the profession and to help mentor students and young engineers on the importance of ethics and integrity,” says Terry Legg, P.E., an associate at the Virginia Beach office of Whitman, Requardt & Associates LLP and a colleague of Nettleton for over 20 years.

In a VSPE letter to young PEs, Nettleton wrote, “The efforts of a single individual cannot protect the entire profession. It takes a cadre of dedicated, loyal, and active Professional Engineers to be leaders today and in the future.”

Continuing on the need for young leaders to take the profession into the future, he added, “Only with a collective base of positive, dedicated, and loyal Professional Engineers will we succeed and continue to be known as leaders within our community.”

TARA GALLAGHER, P.E.

KATHERINE LUSICH-NIXON, P.E.

Two former NSPE and Virginia Society members also were killed in the shooting. Tara Gallagher, P.E., an engineer for Virginia Beach Public Works, had joined the department six years ago, according to the Virginian-Pilot. Gallagher attended Old Dominion University, earning an undergraduate degree in civil engineering and a master’s in environmental engineering. She had previously worked at the Virginia Beach Convention Center and the architecture and engineering firm Clark Nexsen.

Katherine Lusich-Nixon, P.E., worked as the compliance manager of the city’s Public Utility Facility. She was an advocate for women to pursue engineering careers, and held a degree in civil engineering from Chico State College in California.

The shooter, a longtime public utilities employee, was also a member of NSPE and VSPE.

The tragedy has put the profession at the center of the societal discussion on workplace violence and mass shootings.

In April 2007, three engineering professors—from the departments of Engineering Science and Mechanics and Civil and Environmental Engineering—and 11 engineering students were among the 33 people who died during a shooting at Virginia Tech.